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What Will We Take Away from the Age of the Foodie?

It could be said that the Age of the Foodie has arrived. Food is the topic of interest across more conversations than simply what the current fad diet is or what restaurant you ate at for your anniversary. Food is everything these days. Hell, it's even being blamed for killing rock and roll. Food ... More >>

Foodstagramming Is Apparently a Problem

We are all guilty of whipping out our phones to snap a photo of our food at dinner, then making it look artsy and hipster before uploading it to Instagram for all our friends to see, secretly hoping they will be jealous of the delicious meal we are about to consume. While many restaurants are banni ... More >>

Stevie Wonder: The Greatest Mother's Day Gift of All (Almost)

My dad and Stevie Wonder have a love/hate relationship. He's a year older than the soul singer, so it's rather weird hearing him talk about Stevie as if they were brothers, despite the fact that they have never met. Ever. But that's how it is with my family: we have beefs and issues with people we m ... More >>

App of the Week: What Is the Deal with Vine Anyway?

If you don't follow social media closely (hey, good for you!), you may be wondering what the hell a Vine is and why it has been in the news lately? Good question. Vine is another free social media app for smartphones built to share super short videos in much the same way Instagram shares videos but ... More >>

Keep Calm and Carry On Twittering: Social Media Returns to Form After Tragedy

Less than 24 hours after the worst bombing on American soil since 9/11, one of my friends posted on Facebook a picture of Darth Vader riding a unicycle wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes. I scroll through my Twitter feed and see the familiar jokes, memes, posts about food and talk of the Rockets an ... More >>

FBI Flips Script, Asks People for Photos, Videos from Boston Attacks

Over the years since 9/11, photographers have not enjoyed the best relationship with law enforcement officials. While there has never been any legitimate evidence suggesting terrorists used photos of buildings or targets to assist them with their plots, law enforcement casts a wary eye towards anyon ... More >>

Snackshot: Your 2013 Menu Of Menus Extravaganza Pics on Instagram

It was a true extravaganza Tuesday night at Silver Street Station for the 2013 Menu of Menus grand tasting event. For the food fans who came out, it was a night of tasty food, fierce culinary competition, good music and new friends. Many of those fans decided to share their night online via Instag ... More >>

Five Artists Who Overshare On Twitter

Social media has become quite the necessity among people worldwide. Websites like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook allows people to express themselves in a public setting. Most celebrities take full advantage of the opportunity to not just promote milestones in their careers, but allowing their perso ... More >>

An Emotionally Exhausting "Executive Lunch" at The Grove

Whether you are a typical office worker with a strict 60-minute lunch break or a lady who lunches, executive lunches are an excellent mid-day meal option. Simply put, they're quick and easy and usually designed to give you a decent amount of bang for your buck. In this series, we explore executive l ... More >>

10 Signs Your Band Won't Make It at SXSW

Being a successful musician really has to be a slice of heaven. And of course the chicks are great. It's why from the beginning of time men (and women) have taken up instruments in the chance that they will be played in front of many, many others, some of whom could possibly want to have sex with ... More >>

Washington Avenue Sports Bar Sawyer Park Closes Its Doors After Four Years

Almost from the beginning, Washington Avenue sports bar Sawyer Park was embattled. There were the allegations of racial profiling at the door, a shooting nearby in 2011, the malleable dress codes, it's "doucheoisie" clientele, a partial-blinding of an employee, and the people who still missed it's ... More >>

Survival Skills

Calling your boss a dick on Facebook might no longer be a fireable offense (but I wouldn't test it).

Calling Your Boss a Dick on Facebook Might No Longer Be a Fireable Offense (But I Wouldn't Test It)

The National Labor Relations Board, through a series of new rules governing small business and social media, has provided greater protections for employees who speak out against employers online. Expanding existing rules, the NLRB said, "workers have a right to discuss work conditions freely and wit ... More >>

500px Mobile App Pulled from Apple Store Over Boobs, Victim of Apple's Bizarre Double Standard When It Comes to Nudie Pics

The Apple App store has an incredibly byzantine set of rules that make it almost impossible for app developers to navigate. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the approval process is often random and unevenly applied. Take for instance the case of 500px, a mobile photo-sharing app not that ... More >>

How Beyoncé Microwaved The News This Week

Here's how a major announcement would roll in the life of Brando: short, quick, brief moments of celebration, smug congratulations and thank-yous from people before the realization that only douches do that sort of thing and I'd be captain of their army. And nobody wants to hitch a ride on that tr ... More >>

Texans-Bengals: The 10 Best Rapper PLAYOFF Tweets

Houston has a professional football team. They are called the Houston Texans. A lot of people like them. Some of the people that like them are rappers. The Internet has several forms of social media; one is called Twitter. A lot of people use it. Some of them who use it are rappers. Same as we've ... More >>

Houston's 10 Best Bathrooms to Bang In

"It's a list of bathrooms to fuck in, not Homer's Odyssey. Don't go over-thinking it." My girlfriend hurled this sage wisdom at me earlier this week as I planned my trek to nearly two dozen bars I visited to compile this list. If nothing else, I am sure the Greek poet would respect my legwork. Th ... More >>

Instagram to Users: Starting January 16, We Can Sell Your Photos

In what has got to be one of the dumbest moves by a social media outlet to date, massive photo sharing service Instagram has updated its property policy so that beginning January 16, 2013, it will be able to use user photos in ads and with other products, essentially turning Instagram into the world ... More >>

Five Ways the DPS Could Improve Their Drivers License Mega Centers

If you need your drivers license renewed -- or have a kid getting his for the first time, God help us all -- you know what you are in for. The lines, the angry people, the smell, MY GOD THE SMELL! Ok, not all DPS offices smell bad (I'm looking at you Dacoma location!), but they all are God awful sev ... More >>

An Open Letter to People I Un-Followed During the Election

Ruh Roh! Ten of the Weirdest Gifts for Your Pet This Christmas

Black Friday is nearly upon us, people, and while all those other fools will be out buying flat screen TVs, computers and trampling each other for a $5 DVD player, we pet lovers will be searching for the best possible gifts for our furry little friends. For now, we'll stick with fur because I'm not ... More >>

Mugshot Etiquette 101: Don't Smile Unless You Did Something Cool

Every day here at Hair Balls we get to see great, sad, and dumbfounding mugshots from around the state of Texas. We sure do have a lot of criminals in the Lone Star State. Makes me fearful of seceding in 2025. REWIND: Sean Payne: Humble Man Too Drunk To Pose for His Mugshot REWIND: Michael Jordan ... More >>

The Morning After: An Open Letter to People I Un-Followed During the Election

It's been a particularly rough election season if you spend any time at all on social media. Worse than Farmville, worse than exercise tweets and worse than food photos, the presidential election seems to have brought out the most annoying in many, especially relatives you rarely talk to and "friend ... More >>

Projection: Social Media Wins Big in 2012

Thanks a lot Christians, for not showing up.You disgust me.— Victoria Jackson (@vicjackshow) November 7, 2012 Amidst the pundits and the graphics and the touch screen monitors and the iPads strapped to the arms of The Daily Show's John Oliver, probably the most watched network on election ni ... More >>

5 Simple Ways to Improve the Average Festival Experience

Music festivals are a bit of a no-brainer for live music fans. Getting to see a ton of bands for a mostly reasonable price? What's not to love? Well, a few things, if we're being honest. Don't get me wrong, plenty of little things that have happened over the last few years have made the festival ... More >>

App of the Week: Camera Awesome, the Most...Um...Awesome Photo App Ever

App: Camera Awesome Platform: iPhone, iPad Website: Awesomize.com Cost: Free I've reviewed a number of camera/photography apps in this space. It comes with being a photographer who appreciates technology. I wanted a digital SLR camera as soon as one hit the market and I enjoy shooting photos with m ... More >>

Almost There: My Digital ACL Festival Experience

Knowing what's happening at a major music festival is easier than ever. Bloggers post daily recaps, people tweet updates round the clock, and Instagram provides a world of images for those that can't afford to make the trip. Rewind: ACL 2013: What's Next For Texas' Other Big Music Festival? Rocks ... More >>

A Ransom Note To All Major Fast Food Chains

Scene: KFC International Food Testing HQ "So what you're telling me, Colonel, is that I can only get these creamy, delicious, bacon and herb stuffed taters...when I go to Japan? Japan!! Is that what you're telling me!??! Cue sound effects: multiple explosions followed by a quick sword fight and t ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Instagram Man Daniel Jackson

Daniel Jackson's concert photography on Instagram (at @listenyoungman) first caught my eye about a year or so ago, and became almost a daily part of my social-media life when I got the photo app myself earlier this year. You can always spy Mr. Jackson snapping pictures with his phone while lurkin ... More >>

Infuriating and Horrifying 9/11 Tweets from American Teens (UPDATED)

Everyone in the United States remembers where they were on September 11, 2001. Those of us who were of age to understand the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. sat horrified in front of radios and television screens, wondering what would happen next. Was this a part of a bigger effort? Wo ... More >>

Wanna Feel Old? These Are Pamela Anderson And Tommy Lee's Kids

Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and pinup gal Pamela Anderson were one of the most read-about and photographed couples of the '90s. Their leaked honeymoon sex tape would make millions for porn company IEG and it would cement Lee's legend as a wangsman of the highest order and make lonely men and young ... More >>

10 Lobster Dishes to Try in Houston: No. 1, Poached Lobster De/ReConstructed at BRC Gastropub

One of the many things that intrigues me about the Victorian era was how the general overabundance of shellfish meant foods like lobster were more fare for the hoi polloi than the aristocratic minority. This year, a bumper crop in the Northeast has once again made lobster cheaper for the masses. And ... More >>

App of the Week: My Top Ten Most Used Apps

Almost five years ago, I was talking to a friend who had an iPhone. I swore up and down that after a failed Blackberry experience in the mid-`90s, I had zero interest in another so-called smart phone. My friend said it would change my life if I got one. I was already a Mac user, so I figured if I we ... More >>

Digital Endorsement: 10 Artists Who Will Gladly Mention Your Business On Twitter

As a culture it appears that we've stopped caring about the idea of selling out. Whether it's because we've learned that record sales don't always pay the bills, have started seeing artists as humans instead of paragons of creative integrity, or simply stopped caring, artists saddling up with corpor ... More >>

App of the Week: Apps That Helped on My Vacation...and a Few That Didn't

A few weeks back, I took a two-week vacation that saw me visit three states and travel by plane, car, shuttle and even by boat for a few minutes. It was all within the U.S., but I found my need for technology surprising. Because I work for myself, I did bring a computer for occasionally catching up ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "Kyle Farley: Countenance," "Perry House: Elegance/Violence," "Rita Bernstein: Out of Place," "UNIT," "Woven Landscapes"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Hilary Wilder: A Northern Tale", "Interstitial Spaces: Julia Barello & Beverly Penn", "Kyle Farley: Countenance", "Perry House: Elegance/Violence", "Rita Bernstein: Out of Place", "Shifting Transforming: Ideas, Shapes & Mater

Seven Public Places Wi-Fi Hotspots Should Be Installed Immediately

It was recently reported that New York City has installed wi-fi hotspots at 10 pay phone kiosks around the boroughs. My first thought was, "Pay phones?" After the shock that those still exist wore off, I started thinking this is a pretty smart idea. In public, having a hotspot saves on cell data ban ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "Apparition of a Deer," "Interstitial Spaces: Julia Barello & Beverly Penn," "Perry House: Elegance/Violence," "Rita Bernstein: Out of Place," "Shifting Transforming: Ideas, Shapes & Materials"

Five Ways the Cell Phone Camera Has Changed the Way We Live

When I was a kid, I used to follow my dad around with a Kodak Instamatic he got me from a drugstore. He was the pro in the family, shooting photos for magazines and for himself. Like most shutterbugs, he had an ample collection of lenses and camera bodies. When I turned 12, he bought me my first rea ... More >>

The 2012 Houston Web Awards

The Houston Press rides the wave to the next group of winners.

First (Date) Impression: What Your Restaurant Order Says About You

People can tell a lot about you in just one date. Especially if it's a dinner date. How much do you care about your appearance? Are you capable of maintaining eye contact? Do you only like to talk about yourself? Do you smell? But it's not just first appearances, dinner conversation and the percen ... More >>

Phantom Cellphone Vibration Syndrome Is Real, Damn It

Talk about a first-world, (half) white person problem to have. This past week I developed a sporadic vibration in my left thigh where my cellphone usually resides when it rests in my pocket. I will feel a phantom vibration every few minutes that mimics my phone's notification buzz. It got worse at F ... More >>

ReShonda Tate Billingsley: Local Author's Punishment Of Daughter Sparks Social-Media Debate

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a romance author of such books as Can I get a Witness? and Holy Rollers. It's not her writing that has people talking about her online, though, it's what's happened with her daughter. Tate Billingsley's daughter posted a picture of herself on Instagram holding a vodka ... More >>

App of the Week: Socialcam, New Scourge of Facebook

App: Socialcam Platform: iPhone, Android Website: Socialcam.com Cost: Free Most of the time, this column is dedicated to actual apps that go on smartphones and while this is an app, it's also something else, but I'll hit the app part first for the purposes of being thorough. Socialcam has position ... More >>

Saturday Night: Dr. Dog At Fitzgerald's

Dr. Dog Fitzgerald's March 10, 2012 Houston weather was balmy and wet Saturday night, but that didn't stop Philadelphia harmonic rockers Dr. Dog from sporting their trademark wintry wool beanies and shades. Kicking off their set with the "That Old Black Hole" from this year's Be the Void, the ban ... More >>

App of the Week: Instagram

App: Instagram Platform: iPhone Website: http://instagr.am/ Cost: Free I began teaching a class on beginner photography last week for people with nice digital 35mm cameras who need help learning how to use them. When the idea was first presented to me, I suggested that approach rather than opening ... More >>

Four Ways the Nerdy Yet Useful "If This Then That" Website Will Help Organize Your Online Life

A handful of the IFTTT "channels" available for subscription​I recently stumbled onto the brilliant website If This Then That or ifttt.com. IFTTT is a website that brings together a range of different online services and makes them play nice together. And what makes IFTTT so unique is that it ... More >>

Masters of Cyberspace

The Press hands out its first Houston Web Awards.

App of the Week: Cat Paint

What wedding isn't better with cats?​App: Cat Paint Platforms: iPhone Web site: CatPaint.info Cost: Free Photo sharing has rapidly become one of the hottest trends in cellular phone technology. Most smart phones have fairly sophisticated cameras in them and, with an added software app lik ... More >>